Crits & Advice Please

[Calv!n]

Hello all! I've been lurking for a while, but I finally convinced myself to get a Wacom Bamboo and try my hand at concept art. I like to draw (or attempt to) on paper, but this is my first foray into digital sketching and concept art. I am a programmer, and hobbyist game designer/programmer, and I'm trying to teach myself how to draw proper concept art.

First terrible sketch:


Does anyone have tips or crits on proper sketching methods? What size brush, what zoom levels, shape dynamics? Also, I'm quite bad at knowing where to shade. I realize that it's where there's an absence of light hitting the surface, but when I look at a face, or structure I've sketched, I feel a bit lost.

Also, what are some proper methods for designing a color swatch? I have seen a few examples where people will choose a few colors they like that blend well, and they just sample between those. I am running Adobe CS if that matters.

Looking forward to being a part of the community, and thanks in advance.

[giby]

Hey man u need to learn to draw faces using guide lines .... this link has the tutorial for using guide line hope its helpful ... http://www.stanprokopenko.com/blog/2...ead-any-angle/

[David_a_ray]

I don’t think there are any “proper sketching methods” for photoshop. It’s pretty much the same thing as paper, but with less precision. In order to be able to “shade” your drawings, you need to know the proportions, the surface planes, and the direction of the light. Eventually, drawing should feel more like sculpting than sketching. These books should give you a good idea of where to start.

http://alexhays.com/loomis/

[arenhaus]

Don't make things unnecessarily hard for yourself by sketching on a tablet. Use pencils on paper, it's ten times easier to control. You can try tablet when your arm is more used to drawing.